: Factor Affecting Women Participation In Leadership Position Of Public Sector In Case Of Ejere Woreda, Ethiopia

Abstract

Women have Unique Qualities of Leadership .The objective of this thesis is assessing the factors that affecting women participation in leadership position in public sectors. It also aimed to identify the major factors that hinder women participation in leadership position and to evaluate the effect of gender gap in leadership position. In order to meet the objective, descriptive and explanatory research design was used. Both qualitative and quantitative research approach used to analyze and interpret data. The data collected by questionnaires and interview for selected public sectors head office and employees to explain the current gender practices in the woreda and assessing the factors for low representation of women in leadership position. Consequently, probability and non-probability sampling techniques were used to selects the respondents and to make discussants the researches .Selected data analyzed by descriptive statistics, chi square test and binary logistic regression. . Women face multi-faced challenges to participate in leadership position due to different factors. the majority of leadership positions were occupied by men leaders and the representations of women in leadership and decision making positions are almost insignificant. The Woreda Council has approved the appointments of new cabinet members indicate that from the total 31 cabinet only 9 in public sectors in EjereWoreda are women .Similarly EjereWoreda Civil Service Office Annual Report (2012) indicate that from the total of 31 Woreda public sectors women leader occupied only 3 office/. In other hands, from the total of 8 vise and leaders only 6 were women. From this, we can see that women are still in the minority in key areas and decision making positions and the further up the hierarchy the greater the disparity of the women in the sectors. This low participation of women in leadership also has an impact on growth and development of the woreda. This research is based on the fact that there are less female leaders than men leaders, both in country and in the region as well as in woreda level. The findings indicate that women are highly underrepresented in leadership position due to some factors such factors are organizational factors and work place policies which are major cause. Due to these factors women participation in leadership and decision making position was insignificants and get less confidence for the position. In order to minimize those factors woreda needs to implement leadership skill training and affirmative action to enhance participation of women in leadership position and providing different training plan t